September 30, 2022

John 20: 30 (NIV)

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

John 21: 25 (NIV)

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

His miracles weren’t wild, random events – mere magic tricks to impress the crowd. They were purposeful acts intentionally designed to establish his credentials as the Son of God.*

One of my all-time favorite television shows was canceled after 10 or 11 episodes. I have heard that the show’s creator had seven seasons worth of material on deck, some of which he actually got to use in a full-length feature film. Meanwhile, I bought the complete series – and the movie - on DVD and Prime Video so I can watch it over and over, writing prequels and sequels in my own mind as my imagination soars.

The life of Jesus stimulates my imagination as well. I would love to know more about his childhood and his teen years; what he looked like; who his friends were. I would like more stories about miracles and about outsmarting his enemies. I am curious about his apostles’ backstories. And above all, I would love to read it all in chronological order. But, according to John, I am going to have to make do with the few episodes that were recorded in the gospels – for a couple of reasons:

• There is just way more information than the world can contain. 
• We are given all the information God deemed necessary to fulfill his purpose.

Jesus’ teaching and his miraculous signs established his credentials. The testimony of eyewitnesses would stand up in court – and has stood the test of time. The writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit to record all that we need to know in order to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the source of eternal life.  As someone has said, “Their aim was not to write tightly chronological, factually exhaustive biographies.”* Their function was “to make saints, not historians.”*

If you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that believers may have life in his name, read the gospels. Read them with these thoughts in mind: Jesus’ credentials; the testimony of eyewitnesses; the inspiration of the writers. Talk to someone who can testify to the life-changing power of Jesus Christ in his or her own life. Then you will have everything you need to know to make an informed decision. If we needed to know more, more would have been written.

More important, perhaps, than the witness of His friends is that of His enemies.*

September 29, 2022

Luke 24: 17-24 (NIV)

He asked them, “What are you discussing . . . as you walk along?” . . . One of them . . . asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened here in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. . . . 

So tear-filled are our eyes and so limited is our perspective that God could be the fellow walking next to us and we wouldn’t know it.*

We’ve all experienced that awkward moment – talking about someone, probably saying things you shouldn’t, and something alerts you that, “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?” Fortunately for these two men on the road to Emmaus, they were just discussing the facts about Jesus and their feelings about all that had happened in the past few days. They were too downcast to recognize that it was Jesus who had joined them on their walk. When Jesus asked what they were talking about, they must have thought, “Has he been living in a cave?”

You would be sad, too, if you didn’t know the happy ending/beginning or that Jesus was walking beside you. If, like these two men, you don’t know the whole story, you might lose hope. The two men on the road, as well as the other followers, did not necessarily live happily-ever-after in fairy tale fashion but when their eyes were opened, their lives changed.

When you recognize that the resurrection is a fact and not a rumor; when you have your own story to share about walking with him; then your life has hope and meaning. Your faith is strengthened by your vision of the risen Savior.

Jesus’ resurrection gives new purpose to life, new meaning to suffering, and new hope in the midst of sorrow.*

September 28, 2022

Luke 22: 34 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Does Jesus need . . . to warn and disturb us by saying that before this day – or at least this week – is over some . . . will deny by word or deed that they know him?

In the Back to the Future movies, Doc Brown was always concerned about Marty disturbing the “space-time continuum.” I’m thankful that time travel isn’t a vacation option because the repercussions would be disastrous on all levels!

In the last days of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Peter had the opportunity to mess with that space-time thing a bit. When Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times in one day, Peter could have changed the course of history by stubbornly refusing to fulfill the prophecy. Of course, Jesus wouldn’t have predicted it if he wasn’t going to do it . . . see, this is why I didn’t like Back to the Future.

Would it change our behavior if Jesus looked us in the eye and predicted how many times we will deny him today? Perhaps we can’t undo a prediction but when we hear that rooster crow, shouldn't it remind us to be more faithful the next day? That’s the beauty of life in Christ – every day is a do-over. Turn your back on him today and he gives you the chance to make it right tomorrow. We should, like Peter, be horrified by what we have done to our Savior, but repentance allows us the opportunity for a future that doesn’t include betrayal. Peter did it. So can we.

The first step after a stumble must be in the direction of the cross.*

September 27, 2022

Galatians 4: 4 (NIV)

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son . . .

God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.*

Jesus came when God determined that the time was right. What made that time (and that place) so special? We might think that it would have been better to choose a more sophisticated place in a more technologically advanced era – but we would be wrong. Can you trust anything you see or hear these days? A picture used to be worth a thousand words – now it’s probably Photoshopped.

Everything that God does is in his own good time; if he doesn’t tell us why – or when - then we don’t know why – or when. Still, it’s fun to speculate. Consider this thought-provoking quote: “He’s not only the beginning and the end; he’s also the middle – the centerpiece of history.”* My train of thought took off down the track when I read this. If Jesus is the centerpiece of history, perhaps we could take this literally. Will the number of years until his return be equal to the number of years from creation until his birth? That would place Jesus’ birth and life in the center of history. If creation occurred 6,000 years ago; and the flood was 4,000 years ago; and Jesus came 2,000 years ago, perhaps God works in 2,000 year increments.

Actually, I don’t really think that God is going to wait another 2,000 years before he destroys the world with fire. But he could – a thousand years is the same as one day to him. What we need to understand is the importance of being ready. We don’t know when the fullness of time will come again. God is patient – he wants everyone to have the chance to repent and he doesn’t want anyone to perish (II Peter 3: 9). That just might take another 2,000 years; but for you, the time may already be fully come. Are you willing to gamble eternity on it?

Live today like it wouldn’t be a shock if Jesus returned. After all, he did put it in the syllabus.*

September 26, 2022

Genesis 3: 12 (NIV)

The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

God made us as free-will creatures who are able to sin, but who are also able not to sin.*

I have reached the point in my life where I can – grudgingly – admit when I’m wrong. I admit that I still look for the mitigating circumstances upon which I can dump some of the responsibility, but I’m a work in progress! I can relate to Adam’s attempt to spread the blame around. Clearly, he was wrong, but if it hadn’t been for Eve . . . And by the way, God, you’re the one that put her there!

Each of us has played the blame game. We blame circumstances beyond our control; we blame other people; we blame God. We even claim that the devil made us do it. But no matter the temptations we face and no matter who entices us, we are ultimately responsible for the sin and the decision that led to that sin.

Blame isn’t the only game we play, as demonstrated by Adam. He doesn’t deny that he sinned – he knew he was busted. And yet, he didn’t exactly admit his wrongdoing, either. And he clearly didn’t confess. Perhaps there is a fine line between admission and confession, but admitting that I am a sinner - in general - seems to lack the humility that should accompany the confession of specific sins.

So let’s be honest about our sinfulness. Let’s stop looking for a scapegoat; let’s go beyond a shrugging admission of our sin. If we want to escape the penalty (not the consequences – they are usually unavoidable) of sin, we must take responsibility for our actions. I John 1: 9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Blaming someone else can’t provide that assurance!

Till thou accuse thyself, and thyself only, and feel that thou alone art responsible for all thy iniquities, there is no hope of thy salvation.*

September 25, 2022

Isaiah 42: 21 (NIV)
It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.

We are not always happy with unanswered questions.*

My parents frequently answered my “why?” with, “Because I said so.” I wasn’t happy with that non-responsive response and used it sparingly with my own children. Yes, sometimes it was the right answer – but I still didn’t like it. I tried rewording it: “You don’t have to approve of my reasons; you just have to do what I tell you.” Or, “Because I’m in charge and you’re not.”

Like a good parent, some of God’s replies to “why” are more informative than others. Moses’ whys were largely ignored – perhaps because of the self-pitying nature of many of them. In his Psalms, David posed some whys that remained unanswered; likewise, Habakkuk and Hosea. In Deuteronomy, God’s answer many times was, “Remember you were slaves in Egypt.” Job suffered for a long time before he finally got his answer: more questions. And in Jeremiah, God answered the whys with variations of, “Because of what you have done.”

In this verse in Isaiah, the question is implied: “Why did God make his law great and glorious?” Many of our why questions could be answered satisfactorily with the same reply that Isaiah did: “Because it pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness.” It could very well serve as the response to the most heart-breaking why in all of scripture – of all time. From the cross, Jesus called out to his Father, “Why have you forsaken me?”

Did the Father answer? Or did Jesus already know? Had he not received his answer in the garden when he prayed until he bled? When everything went according to plan after he had surrendered to the Father’s will, did he not know that the answer to his why was, “Because it pleased the Lord for the sake of righteousness”?

When it seems our whys are being ignored, perhaps we should surrender our will – our supposed need to know – to the Father’s implied, “Because I said so.” What a step of faith that would be!

His wisdom does not need human acceptance or approval.*

September 24, 2022

Ezekiel 2: 4, 5 (NIV)

“The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Persistence in ministry has brought success, as long as I am properly defining success.*

When you are confident that you have correctly understood and obeyed God’s calling for your life, you expect your mission to be successful. How discouraging it must have been for Ezekiel to get this news from God: I am sending you to preach to people who probably won’t listen. 

We measure success by the results we can see – souls saved, lives changed. It turns out that God has a different set of criteria for measuring success. The response of the listeners doesn’t seem to have been his top priority. He didn’t instruct Ezekiel in how to capture the attention of the crowd. He didn’t have him research the demographics in order to implement the most effective evangelistic approach. It seems that God had two main objectives: 

1. Ezekiel’s obedience. The prophet was to deliver the message from the Sovereign Lord to an obstinate and stubborn audience. Their response (or lack thereof) was not Ezekiel’s concern. 

2. That the rebellious house would know that they had heard from a prophet – whether they listened or not. 

While changed lives and saved souls are how we measure evangelistic success, those activities are the work of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to obediently proclaim the message so as to leave no doubt that the Word of God has been shared. That is God’s definition of a successful ministry – the Sovereign Lord says so!

It is not our ministry to have the last word. The best we can do is point to Christ and say, “Hear ye Him.”*

September 23, 2022

Acts 4: 12 (NIV)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

The Holy Spirit is the author of conversion.*

Have you ever gone miles out of your way before you realized that you had taken a wrong turn? You were happily tooling along, admiring the scenery and making good time, totally oblivious to the fact that you were lost. When was it that you felt the symptoms of panic? Not until you knew you were lost, of course.

That’s a big problem with lost souls, as well. They can be living happy and productive lives, unaware that hell is their ultimate destination. It is daunting to think of trying to convince this oblivious lost soul of his need for salvation, let alone that Jesus is the source of salvation. Where do you start? I suggest that your starting point is not with the person but with the Lord in prayer.

When you pray for the lost: 1) the Holy Spirit becomes your power source; 2) the Holy Spirit will use you as he sees fit – you are just a tool through whom he might or might not choose to work; 3) the Holy Spirit assumes responsibility for convicting the lost soul.

Do you know someone who is lost and making good time on the road to destruction? Have you been dithering about witnessing to this person? Pray that God will send a messenger that your friend will listen to. Pray that he will prepare you to be that messenger. And don’t give up because salvation is found in no one else but Jesus. There is no Plan B. 

We can do a great deal for people after we pray for them but little of lasting value until we pray for them.*

September 22, 2022

Acts 20: 27 (NIV)

“You know that I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

We need to focus on and proclaim what God has plainly revealed – even when it’s unpopular – and trust him with what we don’t know.*

There are a lot of differences between me and the Apostle Paul. In this one sentence we find two ways that he and I are not alike.

· Did not hesitate. When have I not hesitated to speak up for the Lord? It’s easy for me to “talk straight” to my readers; not so much face-to-face. Why do I hesitate? I’m not ashamed, not afraid, and not even concerned about whether people like me or not. Am I hesitant because I want to say the right thing? Because it feels too personal? Why do you hesitate? 

· Knew the whole will of God. Maybe Paul wasn’t afraid to proclaim the whole will of God because he knew it. Such knowledge would produce confidence, wouldn’t it? If I don’t know the whole will of God, why don’t I?

I have concluded, after prayerful analysis of my inadequacies that: 

· It doesn’t matter why I hesitate. Hesitation in itself isn’t such a bad thing if it is a sign of thoughtfulness. Hesitating to speak is not the same as refusing, neglecting, or forgetting to speak. I am not a preacher (another way that Paul and I differ), but I am not excused from proclaiming. 

· I don’t have to know everything to say something. I know the gospel – the good news of Jesus – and what I’m supposed to do with it. I have a testimony. I may not know the whole will of God but through his Spirit, I know what his will is for me.

If you would like me to share more on this subject, don’t hesitate to ask!

Don’t complicate evangelism.*

September 21, 2022

Proverbs 14: 12 (NIV)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Nobody can be truly better off from believing and advocating a lie.*

In the movie, Quigley Down Under, Matthew Quigley and Crazy Cora, after being left for dead in the Australian Outback, have acquired a horse upon whose back they hope to ride to civilization. When Crazy Cora points out that they are making good time, Quigley laconically responds, “Don’t know where we’re going but there’s no point in being late.”

Quigley’s words could be the motto for the man who pursues a way that seems right to him. A man who is sincere while on the wrong path is just as lost as the one who deliberately, rebelliously takes the highway to hell. Case in point: Saul/Paul. Read Acts 8: 1-3, and 9: 1 and 2 for a look at someone who wasn’t just sincerely wrong – he was zealous and bloodthirsty. When Saul was blinded by the light on the road to Damascus, Jesus didn’t tell him that being a terrorist was okay since he thought that persecuting Christians was pleasing to God. Jesus told him the truth and Saul had to decide what to do with his new knowledge.

I sometimes think that Paul had an unfair advantage. I mean, who wouldn’t turn to the truth if Jesus appeared to you in a flash of light and gave you an attitude adjustment? Paul might say that our advantages far surpass his: we have the truth in a handy reference book called the New Testament. He didn’t. He had to write most of it. Ignorance of the truth is no excuse when it is so readily available to us, and we are faced with the same choice as Paul: continue to pursue the way that seems right or pursue truth.

Don’t make good time on the road to hell. Seek the truth in God’s word. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you in your search for the path to righteousness - for sincerely wrong leads to death.

God created man with the ability to think, to acquire knowledge and to discern truth. God wants us to use our minds.*